Stabilizers



Sept. 14, 1965 J. c. KLINE 3,206,759

STABILIZERS Filed March 18, 1964 2 s -s t 1 i 4 32 33 y JDHIJg I Z I AIE T 1' W (0M1 {/3 Arrow/5y p 14, 1965 J. c. KLINE 3,206,759

STABILIZERS March 18, v V I 2 Sheet Shee-t 2 INVENTOR. dOH/V G. KL l/VEUnited States Patent York Filed Mar. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 352,747 2Claims. (Cl. -260) This invention relates to stabilizers in general andmore especially to stabilizers acting as edge stiffening devices formattresses, box springs, upholstered seats, benches, and the like.

Among the objects of the present invention it is aimed to provide animproved stabilizer for the mattress, box spring, or the like, of a bedwhich consists essentially in two complemental identical halves of roundor flat wire conformation, the terminal end portions of which areconnected to one another by twisting, knotting, or the like to form across-shaped configuration.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved stabilizer for the mattress, box spring, or the like of a bed,which consists essentially in two complemental identical halves of roundor flat wire conformation that are connected to one another by twisting,knotting, or the like, each half being composed of a V-shaped wirehaving a loop extending inwardly from the apex and two substantiallyL-shaped side extensions extending therefrom, the terminal extension ofeach half being connected to a terminal extension of its complementalhalf to form a cross with the two terminal extensions of thecomplemental halves overlapping one another and connected to oneanother, the legs of the V-shaped extension with the inner intermediateleg between the overlapped terminal extensions and the V forming legsenabling the V forming legs to form comparatively short lever arms whenthe stabilizer is compressed and such intermediate leg beingsubstantially perpendicular to the overlapping terminal extensionsreducing to a minimum any obstruction to a connecting spiral wire.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved stabilizer for the mattress, box spring, or the like, of a bedwhich consists essentially in two complemental identical halves of roundor flat wire conformation that are connected to one another by twisting,knotting, or the like. Each half is composed of a V- shaped lateralextension having an apex with an inwardly extending loop at the apex,and two outwardly inclined V forming legs with an L-shaped extensionextending from the outer terminals of the V forming legs, the outer legof the L forming extension being connected to the terminal leg of thecomplemental half to form a cross, the V forming legs formingcomparatively short lever arms for the stabilizer when compressed, theleg portion of the L shaped extension intermediate the terminal formingleg and the leg of the V forming extension extending substantiallyperpendicular to the terminal forming leg of the L-shaped extension toreduce to a minimum the obstruc tion to a spiral wire connector, and anoutwardly extending loop between the leg of each V forming extension andits adjacent leg of the L-shaped extension positively to eliminate theformation of a sharp corner between the leg of a V forming extension andits adjacent leg of an L- shaped extension.

These and other features, capabilities, and advantages of the inventionwill appear from the subjoined detailed description of specificembodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmental perspective of a mattress equipped with astabilizer made according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one side portion of a mattressequipped with a stabilizer ing to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation on the scale of FIG. 2 of a stabilizer madeaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a top plan or top end view of the stabilizer illustrated inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a stabilizer made according to a third embodiment on a scalelarger than that of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 6 is a top plan or top end view of the stabilizer illustrated inFIG. 5.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stabilizer 1consists essentially of a wire construction composed of twosubstantially identical halves 2 and 3, each of the halves describedwith regard to the half enumerated 2 has a V-shaped protrusion 4 havingtwo legs 5 and 6 inclined to one another and connected by the loop 7.The legs 5 and 6 in turn are connected to the substantially L-shapedconstructions 8 and 9, the L-shaped construction 8 having an inclinedleg 10 and a horizontally disposed leg 11. The L-shaped portion 9 inturn has an inclined leg 12 and a substantially horizontal leg 13, theinclined made accordleg 10 connecting the leg 6 with the leg 11 and theleg 9 connecting the leg 5 with the leg 13.

The half 3 has its horizontal leg 14 connected to the horizontal leg 11of the half 2 by the knots 15 and 16. In turn, the leg 13 is connectedto the leg 17 of the half 3 by the knots 18 and 19. The V-shapedextension 4 extends laterally in a direction opposite to the V-shapedextension 20 of the half 3 and in turn the protrusion formed by theL-shaped extension 8 and legs 14 and 21 extends in a direction oppositeto the protrusion formed by the extension 9 and legs 17 and 23. The legs10 and 21 of the upper protrusion are inclined toward one another in anupper direction and the legs 12 and 23 of the lower protrusion areinclined toward one another in a downward direction.

The legs 10 and 21 of the upper protrusion, and the legs 12 and 23 ofthe lower protrusion make it possible to shorten the inclined legs ofthe V-forming extensions 4 and 20 so that the force required to compressthe V extensions 4 and 20 is greater if the legs of the V extensions 4and 20 extended from the loops such as the loop 7 direct to the borderwires 24 and 25 as indicated by the legs 2 and 4 of United StatesLetters Patent No. 3,022,521 issued February 27, 1962 to Joseph Martin.

As a result thereof, stabilizers made according to the present inventioncan be composed of a thinner or less substantial wire than the wire ofthe stabilizers illustrated in the aforesaid Patent No. 3,022,521.

Still furthermore, as compared to this patent by bending the legs 10 and21 sharply away from the border wire 24 and in turn bending the leges 12and 23 sharply away from the border wire 25, the connecting coil springs26 and 27 will encounter less obstruction to connect the abutment formedby the legs 11 and 14- to the border wire 24 and in turn to connect theabutment formed by the legs 13 and 17 to the border wire 25..

With mattresses such as illustrated in FIG. 1, with a twin bed of about39 inches in width by about 74 inches in length, excellent results havebeen achieved when there are provided eight longitudinal rows oftwenty-one hourglass springs 28 to a row, making a total of one hundredsixty-eight hourglass springs. With a full size inner spring unit ofabout 54 inches in width by about 74 inches in length, excellent resultshave been achieved when there are provided twelve rows of twenty-onehourglass springs 28 to a row, making a total of two hundred fifty-twohourglass springs.

In turn with the present construction, excellent results have beenachieved when the wire of the stabilizers is #14 B. & S. gauge of about.0625 inch in diameter, where- 3 as to obtain approximately the sameresult with the construction illustrated in United States Patent No.3,022,521 aforesaid, the wire of the stabilizer would preferably be #13B. & S. gauge of about .0915 inch in diameter.

The stabilizers made according to this embodiment are also substantiallyfree from buckling due to the fact that the loop 7 of the V-shapedextension 4 and the loop 29 of the V-shaped extension 20 are positionedat opposite sides of the stabilizer 1.

The stabilizer disclosed in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 differs fromthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the outerlongitudinally extending legs 30 and 31 are connected to one another bytwists 32 and 33 extending in opposite directions and similarly the legs34 and 35 are connected to one another by twists 36 and 37 extending inopposite directions to supplement the formation of the loops 38 and 39formed on opposite sides of the stabilizer to eliminate buckling asdisclosed in United States Patent No. 3,093,840 of Joseph Martin.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. and 6 differs from the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 primarily in that in addition to the loops40 and 41 at the apex of the V-shaped extensions 42 and 43 respectivelypositioned on opposite sides of the stabilizer 44, loops 45, 46, 47 and48 are provided, the loops 45 extending from the same side of thestabilizer 44 and opposite to the location of the loop 40. Similarly,the loops 46 and 48 extend from the same side of the stabilizer 44 asopposed to the position of the loops 45, 47 and 41. In other words, theloops 45, 47 and 41, three in number, extend from one side of thestabilizer 44 and the loops 40, 46 and 48, also three in number, extendfrom the other side of the stabilizer 44 so that the forces transmittedto the stabilizer 44 when the stabilizer 44 is compressed in the courseof usage, will counter balance'one another and supplement the forcestransmitted to the stabilizer by the twists 49, 50, 51 and 52 toeliminate any tendency to lateral buckling by the stabilizer 44.

The number of the stabilizers per unit depends upon the size. As aninstance, excellent results for a twin size mattress unit have beenachieved when twelve stabilizers are used, two at each end and four ateach side, whereas for a full size mattress unit there would also beprovided two stabilizers for each end and four stabilizers for eachside.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the general spirit of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with the inner spring unit of a mattress and the likehaving upper and lower border wires,

of stabilizers disposed between said border wires, each stabilizerhaving two wires which have an intermediate V-shaped section havingdiverging legs, each V-shaped section having an inwardly extending loopat its apex, L-shaped extensions extending from the free ends of saiddiverging legs, the loops extending from opposite faces of eachstabilizer, one of the legs of each of said L-shaped extensionsextending laterally outward from one of said diverging legs and theother leg of each of said L-shaped sections extending parallel to oneanother and away from one of its associated V-shaped sections, the twowires of each stabilizer being disposed adjacent to one another withV-sha-ped sections extending longitudinally outward and the parallellegs at opposite sides of said stabilizer overlapping, means forconnecting said overlapping parallel legs to one another, said meansconsisting of a pair of twists extending in the same rotative directionbut inclined in opposite directions to one another, and coil springsconnecting said overlapping parallel legs to the border wires of saidinner spring unit.

2. A stabilizer for an inner spring unit having upper and lower borderwires and coil springs to connect said stabilizer to said spring unit,said stabilizer comprising two flexible members, each member having anintermediate V-shaped section having diverging legs, each V-shapedsection having an inwardly extending lop at its apex, L-shapedextensions extending from the free ends of said diverging legs, theloops extending from opposite faces of said stabilizer, one of the legsof each of said L-shaped sections extending laterally outward from oneof said diverging legs and the other leg of each of said L-shapedsections extending parallel to one another and away from its associateV-shaped section, the two members of said stabilizers being disposedadjacent to one another with the V-shaped extensions extendinglongitudinally outward and the parallel legs at opposite sides of saidstabilizer overlapping, and means for connecting said overlappingparallel legs over one another, said means consisting of a pair oftwists extending in the same rotative direction but inclined in oppositedirections to one another, said coil springs encircling the adjacentportions of said border wires and parallel legs of said stabililer toconnect the same together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,932,832 4/60Levine 5-26l 3,022,521 2/62 Martin 5-260 3,093,840 6/63 Martin 5 35lFRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Noe3,206,759 September 14, 196

John C. Kline It is hereby certified that error appears in the abovenumbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read as corrected below Column 4, line 26, for "lop" read loopSigned and sealed this 22nd day of August 1967,

( L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner ofPatents

1. THE COMBINATION WITH THE INNER SPRING UNIT OF A MATTRESS AND THE LIKE HAVING UPPER AND LOWER BORDER WIRES, OF STABILIZERS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID BORDER WIRES, EACH STABILIZER HAVING TWO WIRES WHICH HAVE AN INTERMEDIATE V-SHAPED SECTION HAVING DIVERGING LEGS, EACH V-SHAPED SECTION HAVING AN INWARDLY EXTENDING LOOP AT ITS APEX, L-SHAPED EXTENSIONS EXTENDING FROM THE FREE ENDS OF SAID DIVERGING LEGS, THE LOOP EXTENDING FROM OPPOSITE FACES OF EACH STABILIZER, ONE OF SAID LEGS OF EACH OF SAID L-SHAPED EXTENSIONS EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARD FROM ONE OF SAID DIVERGING LEGS AND THE OTHER LEG OF EACH OF SAID L-SHAPED SECTIONS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND AWAY FROM ONE OF ITS ASSOCIATED V-SHAPED SECTIONS, THE TWO WIRES OF EACH STABILIZER BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER WITH V-SHAPED SECTIONS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OUTWARD AND THE PARALLEL LEGS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID STABILIZER OVERLAPPING, MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID OVERLAPPING PARALLEL LEGS TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID MEANS CONSISTING OF A PAIRL OF TWISTS EXTENDING IN THE SAME ROTATIVE DIRECTION BUT INCLINED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO ONE ANOTHER, AND COIL SPRINGS CONNECTING SAID OVERLAPPING PARALLEL LEGS TO THE BORDER WIRES OF SAID INNER SPRING UNIT. 